The Knight-Hennessy scholarship enables students to both pursue graduate studies at Stanford and shape their own experience as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar through the King Global Leadership Program. Building on departmental programs, you will learn to communicate, collaborate, and innovate with your fellow Knight-Hennessy Scholars from other disciplines. We believe these relationships — breaking down traditional academic silos — will be essential to your ability to discover new solutions that will advance humanity. Tailored workshops and individual coaching and feedback will hone your capacity for collaborative leadership. A clearer understanding of yourself and others will allow you to influence even when you lack authority. We also will place particular emphasis on the art of storytelling and your ability to find your voice and tell your story. These essential skills form the foundation for your development as a leader in your field.

As a Knight-Hennessy Scholar, you will develop both the depth and range of subject expertise to confront the numerous grand challenges and opportunities of the future. You will be part of a unique community of change agents from a diverse range of backgrounds. This is a community that will support you, motivate you, and hold you accountable for achieving your goals even when the odds of success seem likely against you.

Minimum eligibility requirements:

1. Citizenship: We encourage applications to Knight-Hennessy Scholars from citizens of all countries.
2. Undergraduate degree: bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university or its equivalent received prior to enrolling in graduate studies at Stanford, at most within the last 5 year.
3. Applying for Stanford Graduate Program. All graduate programs at Stanford are eligible.

Current UCSB undergraduates are not required to submit materials by any campus deadline and do not participate in any campus interview or selection process. Undergraduates are encouraged consult with Undergraduate Education for feedback on application materials. For feedback, your complete application and all letters of recommendation should be shared with our office at least 30 days prior to the national deadline.

See the Knight-Hennessy official website for application requirements, including the oinline application and background information, short answer questions, essays, and two letters of recommendation.

All application requirements listed on the Knight-Hennessy website are in addition to the application requirements for the graduate program you are pursuing admission to at Stanford; you must apply to your graduate program separately to be eligible for the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship. Applicants should research and contact their graduate program of interest at Stanford early on for details, as program choice may affect the requirements of the Knight-Hennessy application. Some programs require standardized test scores, while others do not.

In most cases, students apply to Knight-Hennessy without needing endorsement from UCSB, and in many cases it may not be appropriate for our office to write an endorsement letter unless we have worked closely with you in the past. However, if you would like to request an optional institutional endorsement letter from Undergraduate Education for your application, you must schedule an appointment with our office and plan to provide a complete printed or scanned copy of your Knight-Hennessy application, including all essays, answers to questions, supporting documents, and transcripts, at least 30 days prior to the national application deadline. In addition, copies of your recommendation letters must be forwarded by your letter writers to us directly at scholarships@ltsc.ucsb.edu by the same date.

All applicants are encouraged to meet with our office early to get assistance and feedback on application materials. If you have any questions or wish to meet, please contact our office at scholarships@ltsc.ucsb.edu.